Are You Aware of the Biggest Deviation From Investigating the True Way?

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I have on occasion heard conversations that go something like this:

A: “The Church of Almighty God testifies that the Lord Jesus has returned, that He is Almighty God, and that Almighty God expresses truths and carries out the work of judgment. Should we investigate the true way to see if this is indeed the return of the Lord?”

B: “No, we cannot investigate it. We have to ask the pastors and elders first to see what they think about this matter. If they allow us to go and investigate it, then we’ll investigate it. If they don’t allow us to investigate it, then we shouldn’t do it. After all, the pastors and elders have a greater stature than us and have served the Lord for many years. They often study the Bible and expound the Bible, so the correct thing to do is to have the pastors and elders check this first and then we should listen to them.”

Did you notice the deviation from the path of how to welcome the Lord’s return in this brief conversation? Let us now discuss the following issues: What is the biggest deviation one can make when investigating the true way? How should one go about properly investigating the true way? Please read on to find out.

Are You Aware of the Biggest Deviation From Investigating the True Way?

The Biggest Deviation One Can Make When Investigating the True Way

It is imperative for us to know that investigating the true way and welcoming the Lord is a major event that relates directly to our final destiny. If when investigating the true way we do not seek the Lord’s will, but rather get pastors and elders to check if it is okay first, thinking that the pastors and elders serve the Lord, that they often study the Bible and expound the Bible, and that if we listen to them we will be able to welcome the Lord, would this be the right view? Did the Lord Jesus say that we must listen to pastors and elders when we investigate the true way? Can those who listen to the pastors and elders really welcome the Lord? Recall that 2000 years ago, the leaders of Judaism were familiar with the Scripture and often expounded on it for people, but when the Lord Jesus appeared and did His work, did they recognize that the Lord Jesus was Christ, that He was God Himself? Did they lead the believers to welcome the Lord Jesus? Not only did they not accept the Lord Jesus, they also frantically condemned and blasphemed the Lord Jesus, and even colluded with the Roman government in nailing the Lord Jesus to the cross. This is enough to show that even if people are well-versed in the Bible and often expound on it, that does not mean that they understand the truth, let alone know God! Even if leaders in religious circles have respectable identities and high positions, no matter how much knowledge about the Bible they possess, that does not mean that they can know God and obey God. Because the Jewish people worshiped their religious leaders too much and listened to their words blindly, and did not pay attention to seeking and investigating the words and work of the Lord Jesus, they thus refused to accept the Lord Jesus’ salvation. They even followed the Pharisees in nailing the Lord to the cross. In the end, they offended God’s disposition and were punished by God. Was this not all because they only paid attention to listening to the words of man when they were investigating the true way and did not have their own ideas, and so, as a result, they lost the salvation of the Lord Jesus, and finally suffered God’s punishment alongside the Pharisees? This is also exactly what the Bible says: “Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from Jehovah” (Jeremiah 17:5). Therefore, investigating the true way without applying one’s discernment and blindly believing the words of religious leaders is the biggest deviation one can make, and one becomes very likely to lose God’s salvation.

So now, when we are investigating a matter as important as God’s work in the last days, and we do not focus on seeking and investigating, but just blindly believe the words of pastors and elders, should we still follow in the footsteps of the Jewish people? Some people think that pastors and elders have a lot of knowledge about the Bible, and their views ought not to be wrong. Well, we can think about this. Does the fact that pastors and elders are familiar with the Bible and often expound on it necessarily mean that they know God? Are they sure they will recognize the Lord when He comes? Pastors may often expound on the Bible for people, but do they focus on communicating the intentions and requirements of God? Do they testify about God’s disposition and what there is to love about God? Have they given their testimonies of how to practice the Lord’s words and obey the Lord? Do they talk about how to achieve true repentance, how to fear God and shun evil, and how to observe the commandments of the Lord? The Bible says, “I come quickly” (Revelation 22:12). “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him” (Matthew 25:6). “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). From these verses we can see that the Lord Jesus foretold that He would come again in the last days. When someone is heard shouting “The bridegroom comes,” we should take the initiative to seek and welcome the Lord’s return. But do the elders and pastors do this? Do they lead people to investigate the true way and greet the Lord according to the Lord’s words? Not only do they not investigate it, they also proclaim that “all news that the Lord has come is fake,” causing people to shut their ears, their eyes, to refuse to have any contact, and they even do their utmost to block off the churches, preventing believers from investigating the true way. Is this not denying the Lord’s return? Is this not going against the words of the Lord? Not only do they not understand the truth, they openly violate the teachings of the Lord. Can such people lead us in welcoming the Lord? If when faced with the important matter of welcoming the Lord’s return, we do not take heed to pray to the Lord to seek the enlightenment and illumination of the Holy Spirit, nor actively seek and investigate to greet the Lord as the Lord requires, but rather we rely upon and look up to the pastors and elders and blindly believe their words, doing whatever they say, never distinguishing whether the words of the pastors and elders are in line with the truth and the will of the Lord, and we hand decisions on matters as important as welcoming the Lord over to other people, and hand our destiny and fate over to the pastors and elders to arrange, is this not an incredibly foolish thing to do? Since we believe in God we must exalt Him as the greatest of all and act according to His requirements. We should not blindly obey people. Otherwise, we will be repeating the mistakes of the Jews and the consequences will be unimaginable.

The Correct Practice of Welcoming the Lord on His Return

Since we now know that listening to pastors and elders is the biggest deviation one can make when investigating the true way, we may ask what is the correct way? How can we welcome the Lord? In Revelation it is mentioned seven times: “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” The Lord Jesus also clearly told us, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). And Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.” Almighty God says, “Since we are searching for the footprints of God, it behooves us to search for God’s will, for the words of God, for His utterances—because wherever there are new words spoken by God, the voice of God is there, and wherever there are the footsteps of God, God’s deeds are there. Wherever there is the expression of God, there God appears, and wherever God appears, there the truth, the way, and the life exist. In seeking God’s footprints, you have ignored the words ‘God is the truth, the way, and the life.’ And so, many people, even when they receive the truth, do not believe that they have found God’s footprints, and still less do they acknowledge the appearance of God. What a grave mistake!” From this it can be seen that when God returns in the last days, He will express what the Holy Spirit says to the churches and knock at our doors with His utterances. When we recognize the voice of God, we see God’s appearance and His work, and we go to feast with the Lord and greet the Lord’s return. Therefore, when we investigate the true way, listening to the voice of God is the key. It is just like Peter, John, Nathanael and the others at that time, who all paid attention to listening to the utterances of the Lord Jesus when investigating the true way. They did not ask any religious leaders for their opinions, and when the Pharisees were spreading rumors about the Lord Jesus and condemning and slandering His work, they did not blindly believe them. When they recognized the voice of God from the Lord’s word and determined that it was the expression of truth, they resolved to follow the Lord unwaveringly and received the salvation of the Lord. Therefore, to investigate the true way, it is sufficient to simply focus on listening to God’s voice and determining whether or not it is the truth expressed by God. We should also follow the example of Peter and the others. When investigating the true way, we should not blindly believe the pastors and leaders of the religious world, but focus on being wise virgins who listen to the voice of God and seek the words that the Holy Spirit says to the churches. As long as we can determine that there are expressions of truth, and that there is the presence of the truth, the way and the life, we should seek this way and accept it in order to welcome the Lord.

Today, across the whole world, only The Church of Almighty God openly testifies that the Lord Jesus has returned as Almighty God, Christ of the last days. Almighty God expresses all the truths to cleanse and save people, is doing the work of judgment beginning with the house of God, has uncovered all the mysteries of God’s management plan, and told us all the truths we need to understand, thereby completely fulfilling the promise that the Lord Jesus made to us: “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come” (John 16:12–13). The words expressed by Almighty God are precisely the words the Holy Spirit says to the churches as prophesied in Revelation. The word of Almighty God has been translated into more than 20 languages and been posted on the internet, and is open for all mankind to seek and investigate. The gospel of the coming of the kingdom has spread from the East to the West. The word of Almighty God has shaken various religions and denominations. Many people have heard the voice of God and felt that the words of Almighty God are authoritative, powerful, and that they are all truths, and so one by one they have accepted God’s work in the last days and returned before the throne of God. Therefore, when we investigate the true way, so long as we read more of the words of Almighty God and determine that the words spoken by Almighty God are the truth and the voice of God, is that not welcoming the return of the Lord? If we investigate the true way without looking at whether the words spoken by Almighty God are the truth, but instead believe the words of the pastors and elders and refuse to accept God’s work in the last days, we will become the objects of God’s abandonment. If we persist in not seeking and investigating the true way, then when the great disasters befall us, we will weep and gnash our teeth, and so these words in the Bible will be fulfilled: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). “But fools die for want of wisdom” (Proverbs 10:21).

Editor’s Note: From the above fellowship, we now all know the biggest deviation one can make when investigating the true way, and we now understand the correct path to investigate the true way. If this article has been helpful to you, please share it with others so that they too may find the path to investigate the true way. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us using the online chat buttons at the bottom. We are online 24 hours a day ready to answer your questions.

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